Can Quantum Physics Renew The Quest For Cosmic Consciousness?

Two scientists are proposing this quantum theory of consciousness that the essence of our soul is contained inside structures called microtubules within brain cells and that our experience of consciousness is the result of quantum gravity effects in these microtubules.

This theory, which they dubbed orchestrated objective reduction (Orch-OR), is practically identical to what I used to believe when I was a teenager.

According to this idea our souls, or spirits, extend beyond our physical brain, and that a near-death experience happens when quantum substances which form the soul leave the nervous system and enter the universe at large. The scientists have also used this theory as the basis of their beliefs on biological processes, such as smell, bird navigation and photosynthesis. It also has the potential to explain phenomena such as reincarnation, karma, and psychic powers.

I believed that the far side of these "microtubules" was connected to a universal consciousness, and if one could extend their consciousness beyond their brain into these microtubules then they could achieve enlightenment. Ultimately, if one could extend their consciousness far enough they could theoretically achieve cosmic consciousness. When one dies, and the microtubules disconnect from the brain, the spirit dissolves back into the universal consciousness from which all new spirits are formed. Theoretically, either by chance, or power of spiritual will, a spirit could maintain its form and not dissolve, so that it would eventually be attached to a new brain fully intact. This would result in someone being effectively reincarnated, whether they were eventually aware of it, like a divine being, or not, like an old soul.

Eventually I determined that this belief was not based on anything I could prove and I abandoned it and became what I call an orthodox atheist, but it would nice if this were true, because it just feels right.